by Terri Bey
On April 6, 1912, a coal strike that kept many ships from sailing, finally ended. Hiring begins for the RMS Titanic in Southampton and many passengers are transferred from affected ships to the brand new liner, most notably Second Class passenger Eva Hart and her parents, Benjamin and Esther, who originally was scheduled to travel across the Atlantic on board the USS Philadelphia, so the entire family could emigrate to Canada. However, as the USS Philadelphia was affected by the coal strike, the Hart Family traveled on the RMS Titanic.
On April 7, 1912, many well-known passengers, such as Artist Frank Millet and multi-millionaire John Jacob Astor IV and his new wife, Madeleine approach the port of Cherbourg, France where they will board the brand new RMS Titanic on April 10. Millet is spending time in Rome and the Astors are celebrating their honeymoon in Egypt. The Astors will sail on the great liner to return to New York in order to prepare for the birth of their child.
Titanic-Related Media:
Documentary Recommendation: "Saving the Titanic" (2012)
This is a well-done documentary-docudrama about the electricians and the men known as the "Black Gang," meaning the firemen, stokers, trimmers, etc. who worked throughout that fateful April night to keep the stricken Titanic afloat for as long as they could so as many passengers as possible could have been saved. The documentary covers the "Guarantee Group" who were nine individuals who were chosen to represent Harland & Woolf. Ship designer Thomas Andrews was one of them and all nine went down with the ship. There was religious tension between workers while Titanic was being built and the religious tensions are touched on in the documentary, also.
The acting was very good. Of course, there are some accuracy issues, but overall, I recommend this documentary. This is one of my favorites.
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